]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/06/uh-baseball-assistant-mike-taylor-leaving-to-join-baylor-staff/feed/0Betting site expects Baylor, TCU both to win 10 games in 2015http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/betting-site-expects-baylor-tcu-both-to-win-10-games-in-2015/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/betting-site-expects-baylor-tcu-both-to-win-10-games-in-2015/#commentsWed, 27 May 2015 18:52:30 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/?p=6817If it’s May, various betting sites are getting their over/under totals for the upcoming season.

The folks at 5dimes.eu have provided their totals for Big 12 teams for the 2015 season.

Here’s the way that they are listed (courtesy of the great college football website collegespun.com).

Baylor and TCU both are listed among the national favorites with 10 wins apiece.

Ohio State leads all teams nationally with 11 wins. Wisconsin and Marshall are other teams with 10-win totals for the preseason betting line.

Baylor and TCU narrowly missed last season’s inaugural College Football Playoff, and seem to be destined to be on a collision course for a similar run in 2015.

Team:

Wins:

Baylor

10

TCU

10

Oklahoma

9

West Virginia

8

Kansas State

7

Oklahoma State

7

Texas

6.5

Texas Tech

6

Iowa State

3

Kansas

1.5

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/betting-site-expects-baylor-tcu-both-to-win-10-games-in-2015/feed/0KSU pricing tickets for TCU game higher than for Baylor gamehttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/ksu-pricing-tickets-for-tcu-game-higher-than-for-baylor-game/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/ksu-pricing-tickets-for-tcu-game-higher-than-for-baylor-game/#commentsWed, 27 May 2015 17:10:51 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/?p=6814Kansas State athletic department officials apparently have taken a look at the early preseason magazines.

KSU will be starting a new seating area this season that will provide fans with a chance to watch the game from Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The school has instituted a tiered system of pricing for their home games.

Apparently, they think their Oct. 10 home game against TCU has more value than their Nov. 5 game against Baylor.

The package carries an estimated cost of $10,000 for the South Dakota and Louisiana Tech games, $13,000 for Baylor, Iowa State and West Virginia and $15,000 for TCU and Oklahoma. A $2,000 portion of the price tag will be donated to the Ahearn Fund, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

The package will include 100 game tickets, with the option to purchase up to 50 additional game tickets, and access to a catered concession buffet including food and soft drinks with beer and wine available through the end of halftime.

TCU has been ranked slightly ahead of Baylor in a consensus of preseason polls. The TCU game also might have more appeal because TCU coach Gary Patterson graduated from Kansas State and grew up in Rozel, Kan.

Smith and the Bears finished 23-32 in 2015, the fewest wins for the programs since 1981. The Bears advanced to the conference tournament, splitting four games before they were eliminated by Texas.

“We are grateful for Coach Smith’s leadership of the Baylor baseball program and his many accomplishments over the last 21 seasons,” Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw said in a prepared statement. “We wish him much success and happiness in his future endeavors.”

Smith became Baylor’s baseball coach in 1995, and recorded an overall record of 744-523-1 in 21 seasons. He ranks as the winningest coach in program history and his 744 wins are the most of any Baylor coach in any sport.

The Bears won the program’s third Big 12 title in 2012 with a 49-11 overall record. But since then, Baylor has went 76-88 in the last three seasons, including 29-41 in Big 12 play.

Smith, 54, was a five-time Big 12 Coach of the Year and directed Baylor to three of its five conference titles in the program’s history in 2000, 2005 and 2012. The Bears went to the NCAA regionals 13 times under Smith, four trips to the NCAA Super Regionals and a College World Series appearance in 2005 — their first since 1978.

After starting his college career at Mississippi College, Smith transferred to Baylor for the final two seasons of his collegiate career. He was a pitcher for the Bears and led the Southwest Conference with a 1.72 ERA in 1982.

He was drafted by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft and remained in their system until 1987. The following season, he joined Texas A&M’s program as an assistant coach.

McCaw said a nationwide search for Smith’s replacement will begin immediately.

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/baylor-fires-veteran-baseball-coach-steve-smith/feed/0It takes a brave man to call 6-foot-9, 280-pound Oakman ‘overrated’http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/it-takes-a-brave-man-to-call-6-foot-9-280-pound-oakman-overrated/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/it-takes-a-brave-man-to-call-6-foot-9-280-pound-oakman-overrated/#commentsFri, 22 May 2015 21:18:18 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/?p=6794Shawn Oakman is simply the most imposing player in college football this season.

Most have the Baylor senior defensive end as a likely No. 1 draft pick next year with a strong senior season. And with a breakout season, he might even contend for the No. 1 pick in the draft, considering his 6-foot-9, 280-pound physique, his speed and his top-end abilities. If you don’t believe me, check out this You Tube video developed by Drew Harris.

Oakman’s tools make him one of the most impressive specimens I have ever watched in more than 50 years of watching football. The only player that Oakman reminds me of was the legendary football player and wrestler Ernie “The Big Cat” Ladd, who played for the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs in the old American Football League.

But that’s not necessarily what Baylor coaches have always seen from Oakman.

But, I have mercy on him if he ever decides to bring these points to the senior defensive end.

And if so, good luck.

He’ll need it.

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/it-takes-a-brave-man-to-call-6-foot-9-280-pound-oakman-overrated/feed/0Barry Alvarez says Big 12 was doomed in CFP with co-championshttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/barry-alvarez-says-big-12-was-doomed-in-cfp-with-co-champions/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/barry-alvarez-says-big-12-was-doomed-in-cfp-with-co-champions/#commentsWed, 20 May 2015 21:34:40 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/?p=6773The Big 12 never designated a champion last season after Baylor and TCU shared the conference title with identical 8-1 records.

College Football Playoff committee member and Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez told CBS Sports.com that the conference of “one true champion” failing to differentiate either the Bears or Horned Frogs ultimately killed their chances of placing a team in the four-team playoff. It was especially the case when compared with conference champions from the ACC (Florida State), Big Ten (Ohio State), SEC (Alabama) and Pac-12 (Oregon).

“One of our main criteria is conference championship,” Alvarez told CBS Sports at the Big Ten spring meetings. “You can’t give two teams in a conference the conference championship. You can’t give two teams credit for that.”

Several CFP committee members have been adamant over the last several months that failing to designate one of the two Big 12 co-champions was a fatal mistake in the first season of the playoff. It is likely the major reason that the Bears and Horned Frogs were left out, despite Baylor beating TCU in Waco last season.

CFP committee chairman Jeff Long echoed Alvarez’s comments during the recent telecast of Arkansas’ spring game, saying the championship game was the major reason the committee picked the four teams it did.

The Big 12 still doesn’t have a championship game although it has taken steps to settle head-to-head deadlocks by setting up a clear tie-breaking procedure.

If that process had been in place last year, who knows if Baylor would have joined into the four-team tournament?

The Big 12 still didn’t and won’t have a championship game for the forseeable future. Did it hurt them last year and beyond?

There’s no doubt it did last year. And it likely will continue biting them until they institute a conference title game to even the playing field with the other four conferences.

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/barry-alvarez-says-big-12-was-doomed-in-cfp-with-co-champions/feed/0Vegas website: TCU, Baylor among top 7 teams to win national titlehttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/vegas-website-tcu-baylor-among-top-7-teams-to-win-national-title/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/vegas-website-tcu-baylor-among-top-7-teams-to-win-national-title/#commentsWed, 20 May 2015 14:44:12 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/?p=6770Football season is just around the corner as the opener of the college looms a little more than three months away. It has prompted a lot of interest in futures betting at the website Vegasinsider.com.

A couple of Big 12 teams are ranking among the early favorites for the title.

TCU is the third choice on the board, checking in at 17-2. The Horned Frogs are behind only defending national champion Ohio State (15-4) and Alabama (7-1).

Baylor is tied for sixth nationally at 17-1 along with USC. Auburn is 12-1 and Florida State checks in at 15-1.

Here’s a look at the current odds for other Big 12 teams who are listed.

TCU 17-2 (third)

Baylor 17-1 (tied for sixth)

Oklahoma 22-1 (tied for ninth)

Oklahoma State 55-1 (20th)

Texas 65-1 (tied for 23rd)

Kansas State 200-1 (tied for 40th)

No other Big 12 teams are ranked. The odds for the field are 60-1.

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/vegas-website-tcu-baylor-among-top-7-teams-to-win-national-title/feed/0Baylor’s McCaw and TCU’s Del Conte picked as ADs of the Yearhttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/baylors-mccaw-and-tcus-del-conte-picked-as-ads-of-the-year/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/baylors-mccaw-and-tcus-del-conte-picked-as-ads-of-the-year/#commentsTue, 12 May 2015 18:57:58 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/?p=6708Baylor and TCU’s recent run of athletic is helping both programs earn a little national attention in the process.

Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw and TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte were named Tuesday among the national winners of the 2014-15 Under Armour Athletic Director the Year as picked by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Both will receive the award at NCACA’s annual convention next month in Orlando.

Additionally, McCaw is a finalist for the Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year Award which will be presented next week in New York City.

The Baylor program has continued its recent success with a school-record eight Big 12 team championships, one national team title, another national individual title and 14 teams earning postseason bids as of Tuesday.

Since McCaw arrived in 2003, Baylor has enjoyed the most competitively successful period in the history of its intercollegiate athletics program. During that span, Baylor has captured four national team championships (three NCAA), 56 Big 12 Conference championships and its first bowl victories in 20 years. This period also includes Baylor’s eight highest finishes in the NACDA Directors’ Cup standings, highlighted by its best finish ever in both 2004-05 and 2011-12 with a 25th-place ranking. In addition, all 19 sports advanced to postseason competition in 2011-12 for the first time in school history.

Del Conte has been instrumental in helping lead the Horned Frogs into the Big 12 in 2012 and helped steward nearly $250 million in construction projects including substantial renovations of Amon Carter Stadium and Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

The Horned Frogs also have continued their recent success in football with a banner 2014 season that included a Peach Bowl victory over Mississippi and a final finish of No. 3 in both major national polls. It marked the second time in second time in the last five seasons the Horned Frogs have finished in the top three teams nationally.

The strong work of Del Conte and McCaw have set an agenda that has helped both schools on a stunning turnaround in recent years. Their national honors from NACDA are much deserved.

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/baylors-mccaw-and-tcus-del-conte-picked-as-ads-of-the-year/feed/0TCU 2nd, Baylor 7th in Sporting News preseason pollhttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/tcu-2nd-baylor-7th-in-sporting-news-preseason-poll/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/tcu-2nd-baylor-7th-in-sporting-news-preseason-poll/#commentsMon, 11 May 2015 15:54:28 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/?p=6696The start of practice is still more than two months away.

But it’s never too early to start speculating on the upcoming college football season.

The Sporting News’ annual college football yearbook is still about a month away from hitting newsstands.

But early screenshots of the Southwest edition already are floating on the Internet.

Texas running back Johnathan Gray is the featured element on the cover of the edition targeted for Texas purchasers. A tiny picture of TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin is found in the right-hand corner of the cover.

But the most interesting part of the cover — at least for most college football fans — is the magazine’s annual top-10 preseason rankings.

Here’s how they look.

1. Ohio State

2. TCU

3. Auburn

4. Oregon

5. Alabama

6. USC

7. Baylor

8. Michigan State

9. Florida State

10. Notre Dame

The rankings have a couple of twists.

Ohio State in the top spot isn’t that much of a surprise, considering the Buckeyes return three quarterbacks along with most of the key parts of last season’s national championship team.

TCU at No. 2 isn’t a surprise because of the Horned Frogs’ returning offensive weapons keyed by Boykin.

Baylor might be a tad low, but it’s a little surprising the Bears lost in the Cotton Bowl to Michigan State, who are ranked immediately below them.

It’s interesting that each of the Power 5 conferences are represented by two teams apiece, if the ACC’s association with Notre Dame is taken into consideration.

It looks to be an interesting season.

The release of the rest of the magazine can’t come quickly enough for fans salivating for the start of the season.

2015 Big 12 football odds

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/tcu-2nd-baylor-7th-in-sporting-news-preseason-poll/feed/0Big 12′s tiebreaker plan means it will really have ‘one true champion’http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/big-12%e2%80%b2s-tiebreaker-plan-means-it-will-really-have-one-true-champion/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/big-12%e2%80%b2s-tiebreaker-plan-means-it-will-really-have-one-true-champion/#commentsThu, 07 May 2015 03:56:37 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/?p=6687The Big 12 reached unanimous agreement on a tiebreaker process that will ensure the conference will no longer designate co-champions for its football.

Big 12 coaches and athletic directors agreed Wednesday to a plan during their annual spring meetings in Phoenix that would employ head-to-head results to settle a two-team tie. They also settled on criteria which would solve a tie by more than two teams.

Here’s a look at the exact tiebreaker text that the Big 12 provided to media members on Wednesday:

BIG 12 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TIEBREAKER(To be used to determine the Conference champion and, if needed, the Conference’s Sugar Bowl representative in the event the champion is selected for a CFP semifinal)

10.24 Tiebreaker Procedure. The following procedure will determine the Conference Champion. The tiebreaker will also be used to break other ties as necessary. For the avoidance of doubt, only Conference records will be used throughout the process:

a. If two teams are tied, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the champion. b. If three or more teams are tied, steps 1 through 4 will be followed until a determination is made. Once a team has been eliminated from a multi-team comparison, it is dropped from further comparisons. If only two teams remain tied after any step, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the Champion.

1. The conference records of the three or more teams will be compared against each other.

2. The conference records of the three or more teams will be compared against the next highest placed team(s) in the conference (4, 5 and 6….).

A. When comparing against the next highest placed teams, a two-way tie among the next highest placed teams will be broken by head-to-head before the comparison begins. B. If more than a two-way tie exists among the next highest placed teams, record against the collective tied teams as a group will be used.

3. Scoring differential among the tied teams. The team with the lowest difference between points scored and points allowed in games vs. the tied teams are eliminated from consideration.

4. Draw (In the event steps 1-3 cannot break a multi team tie the champion will be determined by draw at the Conference office).

If the following plan had been in place last season, Baylor would have been named as the conference champion over TCU because of the Bears’ head-to-head victory over the Horned Frogs.

But it’s coming a year too late for Baylor coach Art Briles.

“In the days following the selection, people [on the committee] articulated the importance of the conference informing the selection committee who they considered the champion,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione told FOX Sports.com. “That doesn’t in itself guarantee that team is going to be the one selected, but all things being equal, if they’re giving weight to a conference champion, [the committee] will know which of these teams is the appropriate designee.”

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told reporters that the athletic directors and coaches that four different tiebreak operations were considered before settling on the one that was selected.

“It ranged from strength of non-conference schedule to victories over highest CFP-ranked team to other nuances,” Bowlsby said. “Generally speaking, the one we adopted is the one we think is most clear-cut and most understandable.”